# Is "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins" by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) (Vanguard Press, 1938) is identified by: True first is the 1938 Vanguard Press edition with the Vanguard imprint and no later printings stated. The US Vanguard Press 1938 edition is the true first; later copies bearing the Random House imprint are reprints.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the 1938 Vanguard Press edition with the Vanguard imprint and no later printings stated
- Red cloth-backed spine with illustrated black paper boards, illustrated endpapers, interior in black and white with Bartholomew's hat in red
- First-issue jacket is priced 1.50 on the front flap and advertises Mulberry Street at 1.00 at the foot of the rear flap, with a single hat on the back panel
- Endpaper states are noted by collectors (large versus small hats on the pastedowns)
- Publisher imprint reads Vanguard Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) |
| Publisher | Vanguard Press |
| Year | 1938 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | True first is the 1938 Vanguard Press edition with the Vanguard imprint and no later printings stated |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
True first is the 1938 Vanguard Press edition with the Vanguard imprint and no later printings stated. Red cloth-backed spine with illustrated black paper boards, illustrated endpapers, interior in black and white with Bartholomew's hat in red. First-issue jacket is priced 1.50 on the front flap and advertises Mulberry Street at 1.00 at the foot of the rear flap, with a single hat on the back panel. Endpaper states are noted by collectors (large versus small hats on the pastedowns).

## Is this the true first?
The US Vanguard Press 1938 edition is the true first; later copies bearing the Random House imprint are reprints.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Random House-imprint copies and club editions are reprints; only the 1938 Vanguard issue is the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins* by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-500-hats-of-bartholomew-cubbins
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.